The invention generally relates to wet/dry vacuum cleaners and more particularly relates to apparatus and methods for mounting wheels to a wet/dry vacuum cleaner.
Wet/dry vacuum cleaners are well known. Such devices typically include a relatively large tank adapted to receive debris in liquid, solid, or gas form and a lid enclosing the tank. The lid typically mounts a vacuum generating mechanism such as a motor driven impeller and is removable to enable the contents of the tank to be emptied.
In order to facilitate movement of the vacuum cleaner about a given work site or facility, wheels or casters are typically mounted to the base of the vacuum cleaner tank. Such wheels and casters are mounted to vacuum cleaner bases in a variety of ways.
For example, Tomasiak, U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,605, discloses a wet/dry vacuum cleaner wheel mount manufactured from flexible plastic wherein a plurality of wheels having deformable hubs are provided. More specifically, each hub of each deformable wheel includes a number of deflectable fingers terminating in canted cam surfaces. The base of the wet/dry vacuum cleaner includes apertures sized to receive the hubs of each wheel, such that when a wheel is pressed against one of the apertures, the deformable fingers deform inwardly until completely passing the aperture whereupon the deformable fingers deflect outwardly to lock the wheel in place.
It would be desirable to provide a wheel mounting system for a wet/dry vacuum cleaner which is adapted to support a relatively wide range of loads. At the same time, it would be desirable to provide a wheel mounting system for a wet/dry vacuum cleaner which would enable the vacuum cleaner to be shipped to a consumer in an unassembled state to avoid damage to the vacuum cleaner and vacuum cleaner wheel mounting system but would allow for a user to easily assemble the vacuum cleaner and wheel mounting system when received.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a wet/dry vacuum cleaner wheel mounting system is provided which comprises a wet/dry vacuum cleaner base, a plurality of bearing surfaces extending from the base, a shaft passing through the plurality of bearing surfaces, the shaft including flanges at first and second ends, first and second wheels mounted to the shaft between the shaft flanges and the base, and a fastener secured through the bearing surface and frictionally engaging the shaft.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of assembling a wet/dry vacuum cleaner wheel base is provided which comprises the steps of providing a wet/dry vacuum cleaner wheel base having a plurality of mounting surfaces extending therefrom, mounting a wheel to a shaft, inserting the shaft through at least two of the mounting surfaces, and securing the fastener through at least one of the mounting surfaces and against the shaft to connect the shaft and wheel to the base.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a wet/dry vacuum cleaner wheel mounting kit is provided which comprises a wet/dry vacuum cleaner base, a first axle adapted to be mounted to the base to support the first load, a second axle adapted to be mounted to the base to support a second load, the second load being greater than the first load, and first and second wheels adapted to be mounted to one of the first and second axles.
These and other aspects and features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.